Mysterion, Coon Battle Cthulu in South Park

The fossil fools that despoiled the Gulf of Mexico take the form of H.P. Lovecraft’s hideous terror Cthulu in Wednesday’s episode of South Park, “Mysterion Rises.”

Good thing help is on the way, in the form of a superhero posse led by competing costumed vigilantes The Coon and Mysterion, a Dark Knight knock-off whose identity is at last revealed in the episode.

From its parody of comics superstars like Superman and Batman to its enviropocalyptic satire and Lovecraftian horror, “Mysterion Rises” is a pop-culture geekfest rivaling South Park‘s recent stabs at Christopher Nolan’s awesome Inception and MTV’s terrible Jersey Shore.

But when it comes to fearsome toon freaks, even Lovecraft’s Cthulu might have a hard time competing with Sym-Bionic Titan‘s creepy Xeexi, a nasty throat- and mind-raper influenced by the terrifying pulp of Robert E. Howard. Who wins the battle for the collective nightmares of television’s viewing public? Let us know in the comments section below.